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Product Development

Five reasons for having a Definition of Done

Discover the crucial role of a Definition of Done in streamlining project success.

Michael Küsters
Oct 02, 2021 • 7 min read
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Intermediate
Organizational Strategy
Process Adherence
Product Requirements
Quality Assurance Processes
Stakeholder Requirements

Summary

Explore the significant benefits of establishing a Definition of Done within your team. This concept ensures alignment on quality standards, simplifies communication, and prevents future work spillover. By setting clear expectations, it enhances stakeholder satisfaction and reduces organizational waste. Learn how to implement a Definition of Done and adapt it during retrospectives for continuous improvement. Engage with this resource to enhance your team's efficiency and product delivery.

Takeaways

  • A Definition of Done aligns team and stakeholder expectations on product quality.
  • Allows flexibility and adaptation through team retrospectives.
  • It provides a common understanding of what 'done' means, reducing miscommunication.
  • Prevents future work spillover by ensuring tasks are fully completed.
  • Simplifies communication by establishing clear criteria for task completion.
  • "Agile" is not a silver bullet. The domain is broad, wide, and extremely context-sensitive.
  • Definition of Done mainly encompasses all the usual activities related to an organization's development process and applies to every single backlog item.
  • The Definition of Done is not set for specific phases of the working process, it refers to product increments that have passed all stages of the team's process.
  • There are several benefits to having the definition of Done during a product development process.

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